Odisha presents Rs 60,303 cr budget for 2013-14

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Tuesday presented a revenue surplus general budget of Rs 60,303.09 crore for 2013-14 amid opposition uproar in the Assembly.

For the first time, the state also brought out a separate agricultural budget for the development of agriculture and allied sectors as well as welfare of the farming community.

"The total budget outlay has increased from Rs 52,030.70 crore in 2012-13 to Rs 60,303.09 crore for 2013-14. The overall increase in budget size is about 16 per cent," Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya said while presenting the budget.

Both Congress and BJP members were in well of the house protesting inauguration of a project in Patnagarh area by Bolangir`s BJD MP allegedly by ignoring the local MLA who was busy in attending budget session of the assembly.

BJP legislature Party leader KV Singhdeo sat on Dharna in front of Speaker`s podium when Acharya made his budget speech.

Acharya said Odisha is the second state in the country after Karnataka to present a separate budget for agriculture and allied sectors.

The allocation for agriculture and allied sectors in this budget has been substantially enhanced from Rs 5,627.87 crore in 2012-13 to Rs 7,161.84 crore in 2013-14, he said.

On the general budget, Acharya said the outlay for the state`s annual plan 2013-14 has been fixed at Rs 21,467 crore which included an outlay of Rs 19,367 crore for the government sector and Rs 2,100 crore for the public sector undertakings.

The size of the non-plan expenditure is contained with a growth rate of only 10.5 per cent to create more fiscal space for plan investment, he said, adding there is 27.4 per cent increase in the state plan provision in the government sector from Rs 15,200 crore in 2012-13 to Rs 19,367 crore in 2013-14.